Socratic Code
Code Generation and the Socratic Method: AI's New Era of Code Generation and Its Ability to Enhance Developers
Welcome to issue #16 of Indiscrete Musings
I write about the world of Cloud Computing and Venture Capital and will most likely fall off the path from time to time. You can expect a bi-weekly to monthly update on specific sectors with Cloud Computing or uncuffed thoughts on the somewhat opaque world that is Venture Capital. I’ll be mostly wrong and sometimes right. Views my own.
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In the 5th century BCE, an ancient Greek philosopher named Socrates pioneered a method of teaching that continues to influence education and critical thinking today. Known as the Socratic Method, this technique involves asking a series of questions to stimulate critical thinking and illuminate ideas. Socrates believed that by engaging in a dialogue and challenging assumptions, students could arrive at deeper truths and greater understanding.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and we find ourselves in the midst of a technological revolution. Relative to the last major technological shift circa the Industrial Revolution, we’re living in arguably one of the most impactful when it comes to its potential to impact all of us and society writ large. Historically, whether it be the Mainframe, PC, Networking, or even Desktop Internet (Web 1.0), only a tiny minority benefited from the advancements, with value accruing to a nominal few. While the verdict is still debatable as to whether we’ve hit an asymptote with respect to the AI adoption curve, the ubiquity of AI’s impact – from every view – is far more influential than prior technology waves. One of the most exciting developments in this recent platform shift is the emergence of AI-driven code-generation tools. Pulsing the sentiment of the private and public markets, the general belief is that this new wave of code generation tools is supplanting the need for developers; what I attempt to posit is that, at best, these platforms, if used right, are effectively “Socrates-in-a-box” for developers, pushing towards truth (better code) through persistent questioning and reasoning. Instead of doom, we ought to celebrate with optimism the ability for every engineer to become 10x engineers at a fraction of the cost and time. And, just maybe, we can increase the world GDP as there will be a regressive learning curve for becoming a developer.
The Socratic Method: A Brief History
Socrates, one of the most revered figures in Western philosophy, developed his method as a way of pursuing knowledge through persistent questioning. Rather than simply providing answers, Socrates would pose probing questions, encouraging his interlocutors to think deeply and critically about their assumptions and beliefs. This method was not about imparting information but about fostering an environment where learners could discover truths for themselves.
The Socratic Method's emphasis on dialogue, critical thinking, and self-discovery laid the foundation for modern educational practices. Its legacy can be seen in classrooms and universities around the world, where teachers use questions to engage students and promote active learning.
AI-Powered Code Generation: A Modern Parallel
The new generation of AI-powered code generation tools operates on a similar principle or at least should be seen as operating with a similar principle. These tools are not just about automating the coding process and developers; they are about enhancing the developer's learning experience. This interactive process mirrors the Socratic Method in several key ways:
Interactive Learning: Just as Socrates engaged his students in dialogue, AI code generation tools engage developers in an interactive process. Developers input their requirements, and the AI provides suggestions, prompts, and corrections, leading to a dynamic exchange of ideas.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: The Socratic Method encourages critical thinking by challenging assumptions and prompting deeper inquiry. Similarly, AI code generation tools encourage developers to think critically about their code. By providing instant feedback and alternative solutions, these tools help developers explore different approaches and refine their problem-solving skills.
Continuous Improvement: In the Socratic Method, learning is a continuous process of questioning and refining ideas. AI-powered code generation tools embody this principle by offering continuous feedback and improvements. As developers work with these tools, they learn from their mistakes, refine their techniques, and improve the overall quality of their code.
Getting to be a bit more specific, I sense that – in proper Socratic form – the teacher has to push the student and vice-versa; today, we’ll need to have more of the tool capability widened to ensure that we can trust the teacher. A few specifics come to mind:
Next-edit prediction models
Faster code writing through domain-specific inference and architectures
Refined fine-tuning of the code
Move from synthetic data (with reasonable caution)
Greater token efficacy
LLM exposure to fat tails in the real world (software development)
Holistic code memory throughput through the SLDC
The general investing sentiment has been that the most obvious (consensus) use case for AI in the enterprise today is code generation, especially since many investors and luddites have been skeptical about any material revenue being generated from AI-related tools. GitHub Co-Pilot was the first to debunk this myth when it was rumored to be acceding $100M in ARR. After the news broke last year, and as with any efficient market, you had an exuberance of startups entering the race fueled by $M of venture dollars. One should always be skeptical of exuberance, especially in “bubbles,” and, what excites me most is not looking at the current Silicon Valley developer becoming much better through having an AI-code teacher akin to Socrates. Still, the soon-to-be engineer sitting in a third-world country who has access to reliable internet and one of these platforms can become Silicon Valley talent at half the cost and in half the time.
One of my favorite Socratic method devotees is Alexander the Great, who had a personal Socratic teacher in Aristotle. As we continue to make gigantic leaps in exceeding time frames with AI (see post here from my good friend, Janelle) we should both ensure that each of these code generation platforms pushes the limits of their learning, seeks to be an improving Aristotle (arduous task, I know) while also unlocking soon-to-be developers and current developers all over the world, and just like Aristotle and Alexander the Great, scale personalized 1:1 learnings when it comes to executing and, ultimately, shipping code.